I love talking about my skincare routine. I would do it 24/7 if I could. Sometimes I’ll say to my mom, “Look at my SKIN!” for attention and to steer the conversation towards my face.
Of course, it wasn’t always like this. I’ve struggled with skin issues since high school. My acne was so severe my senior year of high school that I almost went on Accutane, but my mom got scared it would affect my mental health, so I started birth control instead. This helped just fine for several years, but then I had a flare up again last year (and also got diagnosed with anxiety and panic disorder, and I don’t even have Accutane to blame!!!!).
My skin really never bothered me — I knew it wasn’t ideal, but I wasn’t embarrassed or anything by it. Then one day last year, I took a long, hard look in the mirror and decided I should make some sort of effort.
Because of my acne, I tried Curology’s free trial and fell in love. Their routine includes a cleanser, formula made specifically for your skin and moisturizer. I saw results! My acne was gone! My skin was hydrated! Suddenly, I needed more like I needed air in my lungs.
Now I’m up to a four-step routine in the morning and seven-step routine at night. Which, I know. Everything has a purpose, or at least that’s what I tell myself, but I’ll start with the basics.
***Before I get into it, I want to preface this by saying every product will work differently for every person. Try out different brands and products to see what works for you and your skin needs! <3***
Invest in cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen, now!!!! There’s no time!!!!
First of all, I know there are so-called lucky people who simply splash their face with filtered spring water or whatever and call it a day, but I don’t want to hear it. You need to wash your face, the same way you need to wash your hands and your legs and everything else.
I made the mistake of using ACNE DESTROYER cleanser for like, 10 years of my life. Big mistake. You don’t need anything harsh on your face, ever. I now use the face wash that comes with my Curology, but apparently Glossier has a good dupe. Cetaphil is also always a safe option.
You need moisturizer. I mean it. I had oily skin, and I thought the secret to solving that was drying out my skin with my ACNE DESTROYER cleanser and then simply letting the Elements™ do what they had to. Turns out if you do that, the Elements™ will make you more oily. Plus, if you’re washing your face, you’re stripping your face of natural moisture or something. So lather it up, baby!
Again, I use Curology, but here are some good dupes.
Okay, now sunscreen. I just got on this train less than a year ago, and I can’t believe I didn’t sooner. Sunscreen is the best method of keeping your skin safe from the Elements™. (Remember them? They’re MEAN.) You need sunscreen to age gracefully, or whatever. I started using sunscreen because I saw one (1) wrinkle, and it’s the best decision I ever made. If you take none of my advice (cough my boyfriend cough), take this.
I currently use La Roche-Posay Anthelios Cooling Water-Lotion Sunscreen SPF 60, but I’ve also loved Supergoop in the past.
Cool, I’m glad we settled that. I guess if you’re my boyfriend, you can stop reading now. If not, I’ll get into the rest of my steps that aren’t essential per se but I love regardless. (They’re in order of appearance, but face wash always goes first, while moisturizer and SPF always go last.)
Toner (night-time)
Toners get all the excess gunk off your face. I think they do other things too, but I forget what. Anyway, I chose my toner in particular because it’s good for acne-prone skin. I use THAYERS® Unscented Facial Toner.
Vitamin C serum (night-time)
Okay, this bitch CLEARED my acne scars! I owe her everything! I use Timeless’ Vitamin C + E serum. The bottle seems a little pricey for the size, but it lasted me about a year.
Coenzyme Q10 serum (night-time)
I have no idea what this serum consists of or even means. I bought it because I saw wrinkles forming on my face, and I liked Timeless’ Vitamin C serum, and... I needed to spend more money for free shipping. It made me break out a bit on my cheeks, so I only use it under my eyes and on my neck.
I probably wouldn’t purchase it again, but my package from Timeless got lost in the mail. They sent me another order for free, but then they found my original package. So… I have two of these now. You get the picture.
Snail cream (morning and night-time)
I bought this because my friend Paloma said to get it on her YouTube channel, and I was in the mood to spend money. But, honestly, my skin looks the best it’s ever looked. I think I needed that extra moisture, plus it’s supposed to be good for skin elasticity. Another win for my spending habits!!!!
Bonus: My face vibrator thingy
Again, I was looking to spend money, so I bought this face cleanser device. This is good for exfoliating, dead skin cell removing and collagen producing, so I was all in. My face is so soft, and now washing my face is actually so fun because it feels like a massage every time! 10/10 would recommend.
That’s all, folks. Hopefully this helps someone, if not just my ego. (Jack, I’m looking at you!!!!)